A blog about criminal defense and personal injury legal issues in Louisiana and Mississippi
When clients call me with a personal injury claim, one of their first questions is — what is the value of my case? The appropriate legal appraisal is based on the type of injury and the losses you have suffered. I have tried cases for many years and have had multiple awards in excess of [...]
Read More back-injury-lawsuit, personal-injury-award, personal-injury-lawsuitWhen someone is severely injured or a family loses a loved one, there will be mental and emotional damages in addition to economic losses. A jury that is considering an award for a personal injury or a wrongful death lawsuit might focus more on tangible losses, such as current and future medical bills and wage [...]
Read More personal-injury-damages, psychological-injuries, wrongful-deathMany of my criminal defense clients and their families ask similar questions — What diversion programs are available? Am I eligible? What about work release, GPS monitoring, and day reporting programs? Could I enter a drug diversion program? Where do I go for my court mandated drug tests? How do I contact an inmate? What [...]
Read More diversion-programs, Lafayette-Parish-criminal-defense, Louisiana-criminal-defenseIn criminal cases where there are multiple defendants for a single crime, the district attorney or prosecuting attorney can bill the charge under one docket number. This means that all defendants will be tried at the same time in front of one jury or judge. However, it is often not in a defendant’s best interest [...]
Read More aggravated-rape-trial, felony-charge, motion-to-severI recently had someone come to see me about a family member who had been charged as a “principal” to first degree murder. He did not understand why his relative had been charged since the person had not actually participated in the murder. Under Louisiana statutory law, if a person directly or indirectly assists in [...]
Read More Louisiana-capital-crimes, Louisiana-murder-charges, principal-to-primary-chargeIf you are ever charged with a serious crime and you are looking at possible jail time, the most important phrase you will hear and learn about is “beyond a reasonable doubt.” What this means is that in a criminal trial, the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime. [...]
Read More beyond-reasonable-doubt, criminal-defense-louisiana, second-degree-murder